About Adriel Hampton

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But what do people who are very familiar with the legislation and don’t have a financial interest think? The San Fran Chron story at http://t.co/IJY1vXIX tracked down someone who works for the the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation whose 2009 report “Steal These Policies” formed the basis for SOPA and PIPA. He now says “There’s sort of a hysterical climate of criticism where people are objecting to something the bills don’t do and are promoting noble causes like free speech and democracy, but there is not much connection between what they are complaining about and what’s in the legislation.” This judgment from a think tank that gets its funding from Silicon Valley, Hollywood’s enemy in this dispute!

I’ve talked to many such entities, including analysts, bloggers, law professors and activists. My feature reflects that reporting. You’re right — there are people who don’t know the bills well who are objecting to what they think is in them. There are also many people who are “very familiar” with the legislation who have gone on the record to lodge substantive critiques: http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/11/sopa-protectip.html